December 1, 1909
First Christmas savings club opened by Carlisle (PA) Trust
Company.

December 2, 2001
The Enron Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
in a New York court, sparking one of the largest corporate
scandals in U.S. history.

December 3, 1842
Charles A Pillsbury, who became the world’s largest flour miller
by 1889, was born today in Warner, N.H.; invested in a small flour
mill (1869); introduced new methods and grew business. Died 1889

December 5, 1955
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial
Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO with 15 million members.

December 6, 1823
John Eberhard Faber, who set up the first American pencil factory
(1861), was born on this date in Stein, Germany; first to put an
eraser on a pencil. He died in 1879.

December 7, 1863
Richard W. Sears was born on this date. He was the organizer of
Sears Roebuck (1893). He acquired a shipment of abandoned watches,
hired Alvah Roebuck to repair them, and then sold the watches
through the mail.

December 8, 2003
President Bush signed a law that would establish a Medicare drug
benefit to begin in 2006.

December 9, 1886
Charles Birdseye, inventor of process of freezing food, was born
on this date in Brooklyn. He was the founder of what would later
become General Foods Corporation.

December 10, 1955: "The Big Surprise"
on NBC-TV awarded the largest amount of money given away on
television. Mrs. Ethel Park Richardson of Los Angeles, CA may have
needed an armored truck to carry away her $100,000 in cash.
Source

December 11,
2008: Bernard Madoff is
arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi
scheme. Source

December 13, 1995
Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high of
5,216.47. Source

The U.S. Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the
first U.S. coin honoring a woman. (1978)

December 14, 1946John D. Rockefeller, Jr.,
gave $8.5 million toward the purchase of New York City property
for the United Nations headquarters. Source

December 15, 1939: "Gone With the
Wind" premiered. The owner of the script was fined $5,000 for
including the word 'damn' Rhett Butler’s famous farewell to
Scarlett, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

December 16, 1963
President Lyndon Johns signed bill setting up $1.2 billion
construction program for college classrooms, laboratories, and
libraries. Source

December 17, 2003:
Space Adventures announces the availability of two more
tickets to fly to the International Space Station at a cost of $20
million each. Source

December 18, 1936: Su Lin arrived in
San Francisco, California. She was the first giant panda to come
to the U.S. from China. The bear was sold to the Brookfield Zoo
for $8,750. Source

December 19, 1732
Poor Richard's Almanac published in Philadelphia for the first
time by Benjamin Franklin. Source

December 20, 1930
President Hoover signed $116 million Emergency Construction Act to
aid the unemployed. Source

The United States purchased the Louisiana territory from France
for $15 million. (1803)

December 21, 1937: Disney "Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs" which cost $1.5 million to produce.

December 22, 2005
Presidential $1 Coin Act became law and provided for all
Presidents to be depicted on the coins; four new ones to be issued
each year.

Joseph Bloomingdale, cofounder of department store, was born in
New York City on this date. He instituted a 10 hour work day and
half day off per week. Source

December 23, 1913: The "Federal
Reserve Act" was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. It
established 12 Federal Reserve Banks.
Source

December 24, 1867: It was Christmas
Eve that R.H. Macy’s department store in New York City remained
open until midnight to catch last-minute shoppers. The store took
in a record $6,000, giving itself a very Merry Christmas.
Source

December 26, 2002
Record lottery winner: Andrew J. Whittaker, Jr., of West Virginia;
takes $113.4 million immediately rather than $314.9 million
long-term payout. Source

December 27, 1941
Rationing began, starting with tires; ended late in 1945, except
for sugar; at its peak there were 13 programs in effect. Source

December 28, 1981: WEA Records
(Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) raised the price of its 45 rpm records
from $1.68 to $1.98 this day. The company was the leader of the
pack with other labels soon boosting their prices. Within a few
years, the 45 rpm record was boosted right out of existence.
Source

December 29, 1994
Dow Jones industrial average ended the year at 3,833.43. 1 year
later it closed at 5,117.12. Source

December 30, 1969
President Nixon signed most far-reaching tax reform bill in
American history; was expected to lower taxes by 5% and remove
nine million low-income Americans from the tax rolls. Source

The first ever NTSC color television sets go on sale for about $1,175 each from RCA.
Source